With exams on the horizon, students in dire straits with no books or time

Chennai students affected by Cyclone Michaung floods face difficulty preparing for exams. Govt. to replace books, uniforms & postpone exams. Students form groups, go to friends' houses to share books & study. Primary class students struggle as parents busy cleaning & sourcing items. Schools shut since Dec. 4, leaving students to fend for themselves. Education Dept. distributing books, uniforms, bags, shoes & crayons to 4 districts. Distribution to be completed by Tues. afternoon.

Many students in the city have lost their books, bags, and uniforms in the floods in the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung.

The State government has announced that it would replace all the books and uniforms and also postponed the half-yearly exams to December 13. It was previously scheduled to be held on Monday. However, as students are still reeling from the aftereffects of the flood, many are not confident about taking the exam.

“My books and other school items were ruined in the flood. I would not be able to write the exams as well as I hoped as I am helping my parents clean the house and set it up. We did not have power until Friday, and we are in the process of cleaning the house,” said Dinesh, a Class IX student from Vyasarpadi.

Students of Classes IX, X, XI, and XII, who are anxious about their board exams, are now in a tough spot. Some other students make groups or go to their friends’ houses to share books and prepare for exams.

“We live in a hostel so we conduct group study sessions, but it still gets difficult as there is only one book for a bunch of us to prepare,” said a Class X student of Jaigopal Garodia Government Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Choolaimedu. The students from other districts had come to Chennai exclusively for studies but their rooms were flooded as it was on the ground floor. This is the case of most students across the city as the flood pushed them out of their homes to seek refuge elsewhere.

The scenario for primary class students, however, is quite different as the parents now have to clean and source household items, leaving them no time to help their child prepare for the exams. “We are still living at a friend’s house. The floods took away most of our belongings. I don’t have the time to teach my child. Even if a week is given to prepare, we won’t be able to make it as there are no resources,” said Velankanni from Pulianthope, whose child is in Class III. She lost all of her belongings in the floods and is now slowly rebuilding her home.

On the other side of town in Padi, students struggle to study as their syllabus has not been completed yet. With schools shut since December 4, the students were left to fend for themselves. “Since the power came back, I have been trying to study but the syllabus is not completed. I’m not sure how well I’ll be able to perform,” said Mohan, a Class XI student of a private school.